Orienting your new maid should be standard procedure. Here are some ideas of what you can do.

It is normal to feel nervous and excited when you pick up your maid from the agency. However, your maid is as nervous, or even more nervous than you. After all, she probably came from a rural area and is now going to stay and help a family that she has never seen before.

As the employer, orienting your new maid is important. We recommend that the following should be done to familiarise her:

1. Give her a house tour

Show and explain to her how your house is like. Tell her where the things are placed and demonstrate how your household electrical appliances work so that she can operate it.

2. Bring her around the neighbourhood

The maid is likely going to leave the house to help you do groceries. Hence, showing her around the neighbourhood will allow her to do her job more effectively.

3. Set the ground rules

Every household is different. There are some things that employers can and cannot accept. It is wise to tell her what you cannot tolerate so there is a common understanding between you.

4. Bring her out with the family to have meals

This is one of the best ways to bond. Taking her out with your family will make her feel like she is a member of the family. Also, it is a good way for the helper to relax and de-stress from all the household chores.

5. Allow her to call back home

Suggest to your new maid to call her family back home when she arrives at your house. This will put both her and her family at ease. The maid can then focus on her work.

Should you allow you maid to use internet at home?

These days, having internet access is becoming more and more commonplace. People use it to learn, others use it for entertainment, and a lot of people use it to get in touch with their friends and loved ones living in far-off places. The same is very true for maids.

Giving them access to internet can both be a good thing and a bad thing, depending on how you handle the situation. Like with cellular phone use, too much can make your maid lose focus when it comes to her work.

If your maid asks you if they can have access to the internet, then by all means give them access, provided that they don't use it too much or abuse it. You can set a schedule of when your maid can have access to the internet, either through a computer or through a mobile device like a smartphone. Having internet access helps them get in touch with their families better and helps them cope with homesickness.

Additionally, it's also important to talk to your maid about the risks that are involved when she goes online, since there are a lot of predators and nefarious individuals that use social media sites such as Facebook to look for maids and use them to break into their employer's home.

6. Teach her how to take care of your child or elderly.

The way we handle and take care of our children is already different between Singaporean households, let alone between countries. Show and demonstrate to the maid how you would like her to take care of your child or elderly to be clear.

7. Give her a dictionary / English book

Indonesians and Burmese helpers often speak little English. Get them an English book so they can learn English during her free time.